Air conditioning units



Aug. 7, 1956 J P, DRY 2,757,613

AIR CONDITIONING UNITS Filed March 27, 1953 f I Y I 7 IN VENTOR.

ATTORN EYS United States Patent AIR CONDITIONING UNITS John P. Dry, Winters, Tex.

Application March 27, 1953-, Serial No. 345,080

'3 Claims. (Cl. 103-6) This invention relates to air conditioning units of the type wherein air is circulated through a housing, and in particular a frame adapted to be pivotally mounted in an air conditioning unit and means on the frame for frictionally engaging an operating element for actuating a turbine or pump carried by the frame and adapted to circulate water from a reservoir in the power part of the unit to water distribution means in the path of air circulated through the unit.

The purpose of this invention is to provide means for operating a circulating pump or turbine for circulating water to suitable water distribution means from a conventional blower driving pulley on a motor shaft of an air conditioning unit.

In air conditioning units of this type, it is preferred to pass air circulated through the unit through a fibrous pad or a continuously falling water spray or screen and with the conventional type of motor it is difficult to provide driving means for operating a pump to elevate the water from a storage reservoir in the lower part of the unit to water distribution means, in the upper part of the unit.

With this thought in mind, this invention contemplates the use of a friction drive for operating a water elevating pump or turbine whereby a pulley positioned against a face of a pulley on a motor shaft of an air conditioning unit is rotated continuously as the motor operates whereby a turbine may be driven without gears, belts or other operating elements.

The object of this invention is, therefore, to provide means for driving a water circulating element from a moving part of a conventional driving element in an air conditioning unit by frictional contact of an element associated with the circulating means with said driving element.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for mounting a circulating pump and driving means therefor, whereby the driving means of the pump is resiliently held against a moving part of an air conditioning unit.

A further object of the invention is to provide a mounting for a circulating device in an air conditioning unit whereby water is continuously elevated to provide a spray or screen in the unit in which the mounting element is of a simple and economical construction.

With these and other objects and advantages in view, the invention embodies a frame adapted to be pivotally mounted in a housing of an air conditioning unit having a motor with a shaft having a pulley thereon, a shaft journaled in said frame and having a water circulating turbine on the lower end, a friction pulley mounted on the shaft and positioned to engage the pulley of the motor shaft of the unit and resilient means for retaining the friction pulley against the face of said pulley on the motor shaft.

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description, taken in connection with the drawings, wherein:

" ree Figure 1 is a front elevational view showing the lower corner of an air conditioning unit with parts broken away, illustrating a mounting for a turbine and the friction driving element in the unit.

Figure 2 is a section through the unit taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1, with the parts shown on an enlarged scale illustrating the mounting of the turbine carrying and driving element frame in the housing of the unit.

Figure 3 is a sectional plan looking downwardly upon the upper end of the frame and mounting bracket with the parts as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a sectional plan taken on line 44 of Figure 2, illustrating the circulating turbine mounted on the lower end of the frame.

Figure 5 is a vertical section taken on line 5-5 of Figure 2, illustrating the mounting of the shaft of the turbine and driving element in the frame.

Referring now to the drawing wherein like reference characters denote corresponding parts, the improved water circulating device mounting of this invention includes a vertically disposed shaft 10 having a turbine 11 mounted on a base 12 at the lower end with a friction pulley 13 adjustably mounted on the upper part of the shaft and positioned to engage a face 14 of a pulley 15 on a shaft 16 of a motor 17.

The shaft 10 is journaled in bearings 18 and 19 of a frame carried by a rectangular-shaped support or bracket 20 and the support is pivotally mounted with a pin 21 in flanges 22 and 23 of a mounting plate or bracket 24 that is secured, preferably by welding to a side plate 25 of a housing having a base 26, upwardly extended end plates 27 and also a side plate 28. The bracket 20 may be provided with openings 29 to reduce the weight thereof and the frame in which the bearings 18 and 19 are mounted is secured to the bracket, preferably by welding, a plate 30 of the frame to flanges 31 and 32 extended from the upper and lower edges of the bracket.

As illustrated in Figure 4, the frame also includes a plate 33 extended from one edge of the plate 30 and the bearing 18 is mounted in a web 34 connecting the upper edges of the plates 30 and 33. The lower edges of the plates 30 and 33 are provided with flanges 35 and '36 by which the plates are secured to a cover plate 37 on the mounting plate or base 12. The bearing 19 is mounted in an intermediate web or partition 38 extended between the plates 30 and 33.

The friction pulley 13, which is mounted on the shaft 10, is secured in position with a set screw 39 and the pulley is provided with a key 40 that extends into a keyway 41 in the shaft whereby the pulley is adapted to be adjusted vertically on the shaft.

A spring 42, which is connected to the bracket 20 at the point 43 extends to an eye 44 extended from a section 45 of the housing, as shown in Figure 1, whereby the bracket and frame are resiliently held with the surface of the pulley 13 in contact with the face 14 of the pulley 15.

The device is also provided with a hook 46 on the end of a wire or the like 47 which extends through a flexible housing 48 in a support 49 and with the wire extended to a suitable point on the outside of the housing the frame is adapted to be drawn against the spring 42 to separate the pulley 13 from the face of the pulley 15 when it is desired to stop the turbine or pump 11. By this means water may be circulated, only, as desired and when the water screen or spray is not desired the pulley 13 is retained in spaced relation to the pulley 15.

With the water circulating pump or turbine mounting assembled in this manner, the device may readily be in stalled in an air conditioning unit, the parts being positioned whereby the pulley 13 is adapted to be resiliently held by the spring 42 against the face of a pulley, such may be made in the design and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is: 1. An auxiliary pump mounting comprising a pair of elongated vertically disposed plates, one of said plates being positioned at a right angle in relation to the other,

a horizontally disposed base plate secured to lower ends of the vertically disposed plates, a horizontally disposed web connecting upper edges of the vertically disposed plates, an intermediate horizontally disposed partition secured to inner surfaces of the vertically disposed plates and positioned between the upper edges of the plates and base plate, a pump mounted on the base plate, a vertically disposed shaft extended from the pump and rotatably mounted in the intermediate partition and web, a rectangular-shaped support extended from one of the vertically disposed plates, a vertically disposed bracket having horizontally positioned flanges on the ends, the flanges of the bracket being positioned to overlap the upper and lower ends of the support, a pin extended through the flanges and support pivotally mounting the support in the bracket with the base plate free to swing in a horizontal plane, a pulley having a friction peripheral surface mounted on the shaft, a spring extended from the support, and a flexible element extended from the support for urging the support, vertically disposed plates, and shaft against the action of the spring.

2. In an air conditioning unit, the combination which comprises a housing, a blower having a rotor rotatably mounted in the housing, a motor positioned in the housing and having a shaft extended from one end, a pulley on the shaft of the motor, a pulley on the rotor of the blower aligned with the pulley on the shaft of the motor, a belt trained over the pulleys of the motor shaft and rotor, a pair of elongated vertically disposed plates, one of said plates being positioned at a right angle in relation to the other, a horizontally disposed base plate secured to lower ends of the vertically disposed plates, a horizontally disposed web connecting upper edges of the vertically disposed plates, an intermediate horizontally disposed partition secured to inner surfaces of the vertically disposed plates and positioned between the upper edges of the plates and base plate, a pump mounted on the base plate, a vertically disposed shaft extended from the pump and rotatably mounted in the intermediate partition and web, a rectangular-shaped support extended from one of the vertically disposed plates, a vertically disposed bracket having horizontally positioned flanges on the ends, the flanges of the bracket being positioned to overlap the upper and lower ends of the support, a pin extended through the flanges and support pivotally mounting the support in the bracket with the base plate free to swing in a horizontal plane, a pulley having a friction peripheral surface mounted on the shaft, a spring extended from the support and connected to the housing for urging the pulley on the shaft against a side surface of the pulley on the motor shaft, and a flexible element for retaining the mounting with the pulley on the shaft spaced from the surface of the pulley on the motor shaft.

3. In an air conditioning unit, the combination which comprises a housing, a blower having a rotor rotatably mounted in the housing, a motor positioned in the housing and having a shaft extended from one end, a pulley on the shaft of the motor, a pulley on the rotor of the blower aligned with the pulley on the shaft of the motor, a belt trained over the pulleys of the motor shaft and rotor, a pair of elongated vertically disposed plates, one of said plates being positioned at a right angle in relation to the other, a horizontally disposed base plate secured to lower ends of the vertically disposed plates, a horizontally disposed web connecting upper edges of the vertically disposed plates, an intermediate horizontally disposed partition secured to inner surfaces of the vertically disposed plates and positioned between the upper edges of the plates and base plate, a pump mounted on the base plate, a tube extended from the discharge of the pump for carrying water to spraying means, a vertically disposed shaft extended from the pump and rotatably mounted in the intermediate partition and web, a rectangular-shaped support extended from one of the vertically disposed plates, a vertically disposed bracket having horizontally positioned flanges on the ends, the flanges of the bracket being positioned to overlap the upper and lower ends of the support, a pin extended through the flanges and support pivotally mounting the support in the bracket with the base plate free to swing in a horizontal plane, a pulley having a friction peripheral surface mounted on the shaft, a spring extended from the support and connected to the housing for urging the pulley on the shaft against a side surface of the pulley on the motor shaft, a wire extended from one of the vertically disposed plates to a point on the outside of the housing for urging the pulley with the friction surface away from the side of the pulley on the motor shaft, and a flexible covering for said wire.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,506,688 Swanson Aug. 26, 1924 2,112,573 Parish Mar. 29, 1938 2,526,982 Vonk Oct. 24, 1950 

